Despite winning the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year, the Florida Panthers went into NHL free agency with work to do.
For General Manager Bill Zito, his Conn Smythe winner, Sam Bennett, playoff point machine Brad Marchand, and former number one overall pick, Aaron Ekblad, were all set to come off the books this offseason. Zito was able to get all to return to the Sunshine State before the start of July.
Bennett was signed to an eight-year deal, Marchand agreed to a six-year extension, and Ekblad also signed an eight-year deal. Bennet’s deal was agreed upon on Friday, with Ekblad and Marchand following on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Panthers’ Bill Zito Showed Masterclass in Salary Cap
According to outkick.com, it is these deals that show why Zito deserved a GM of the Year award.
The Florida Panthers have $-2,175,000 in projected cap space and a projected cap hit of $97,675,000. The team currently has an active roster of 21 players.
Zito recently appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he addressed feeling that the new NHL salary cap both complicated and assisted his efforts going into free agency this year.
“With the [salary] cap going up, that’s going to help us. We’re gonna be right at the cap this year and it’s gonna be tight,” Zito said on Wednesday’s Pat McAfee Show. “Our core is locked up until 2030, and it will give us more flexibility as we have more cap space to supplement and to help and to make additions to that core.”
“We’re gonna be right at the cap this year and it’s gonna be tight..
Our core is locked up until 2030 and with the cap going up we’ll be able to make additions”@bzitojr #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Qbw3l6gEMH
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 2, 2025
The NHL salary cap for the 2025-26 season will be $95.5 million with a lower limit of $70.6 million, according to the NHL and NHLPA. This represents a significant increase from the previous season’s $88 million cap.
Additionally, Zito met with the media on Tuesday, July 2, to discuss how he was able to get Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad to all return. His answer was simple.
“There’s no gray area whatsoever. This was 100 percent those guys wanting to be part of something that they created,” Zito said, according to NHL.com. “We kind of wax poetic about the team and the community that they’ve become, and I think this is a great example of what it means to them.”
As a result of Zito’s efforts and knowledge of the current landscape of the NHL salary cap, it’s looking even more likely that the Panthers go for the Stanley Cup three-peat next year.
